For What Once Was
Solo Guitar
Duration: 5'
(2022)
Upon viewing the art exhibit in the Barrick Museum at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, I was drawn to the themes of environmental loss and the passage of time present in The Mojave Project, an exhibit exploring the physical, geological, and cultural landscape of the Mojave Desert.
One of the photos was of a nuclear test called De Baca, where in 1958 a 2.2 kiloton bomb was detonated in the Mohave Desert. The juxtaposition of nature against the smoke spoke to me. I thought the art and the melancholic nature of my then unnamed guitar piece paired well together. I chose the name “For What Once Was”, as it solemnly remembers the Mojave Desert as it was, before people and nuclear testing.
It was premiered on April 27th, 2022 by guitarist Tasos Peltekis at the Barrick Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada.
